Sooo, I recently handed in the final manuscript for my upcoming cookbook(!!!!). This really felt like an absolutely, unreal milestone for me. Writing this book was one of the hardest, and one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done and I have to say, the swings between sheer joy and sheer anxiety (at times) has been full on.
Joy because I still can’t believe that cooking and recipe creation, this thing that has been such a huge part of my life, and actually my whole identity, is going to come to life in the form of an honest to goodness, real life, actual cookbook.
And anxiety because of the pressure. I basically second guessed *checks notes* everything about everything I’ve ever cooked, but also, when I’d landed on something really delicious that I loved, I found the act of deciding whether that recipe should be shared here on Substack and on IG, or rather saved and held back for the book really confusing and challenging. And I’m still second guessing.
This recipe right here is a perfect example.
I had been riding a wave of relative “post-cookbook-manuscript-submission-calm” when I threw this salad together. Then, my husband and I were savouring just how delicious it was. And then I had a moment of total panic.
Ultimately, there was a positive reason for the panic, I suppose. It was because this salad was so bloody good! Before my husband had washed the dishes, I had literally emailed the publishers to ask how late I could swap out, or add new recipes to the book.
Yes, I am genuinely trying to figure out how I can make this salad a sneaky, last-minute addition to my debut cookbook, because this dish is a total knockout. And if I can’t, then please save/bookmark this issue right here, because I promise you, you’re going to want to come back to this salad recipe!
This salad starts with the sweet green pea. If you’ve been following along on IG, you’ve seen my series “Yes, peas.” The IG algorithm doesn’t appear to be enjoying that series as much as I am but I truly hope you aren’t sleeping on the humble, frozen pea, especially if you have a real love for the bright and beautiful, abundant dishes, that come together without a lot of effort. Because, friends, this pea salad, is exactly that.
It is sweet. It is inexpensive. And, once you have this recipe up your sleeve, it will always be there for you, whenever you need a quick win!
The magic of this dish lies in the high contrast textures and the unapologetically briny dressing. So, when you pair the beautiful sweetness, crisp pop, and gorgeous bright green colour, with the creamy weight of butter beans and all that sharpness from the brine and that salty kick of crumbled feta, you’ve just got an incredible, structural base for an awesome salad.
The real game changer here is the brine from your pickled jalapeño jar. Instead of whisking a complicated vinaigrette, you’re going to use a few tablespoons of that fiery, vinegar spiked pickling liquid, straight into your salad bowl. The spicy, briny liquid will cut through the rich cheese, and will tie the fresh dill and preserved lemon together beautifully.
Toss in the crunchy, deeply roasted sourdough croutons in at the very last second so they absorb the juices without losing their crunch. This is the kind of salad that dreams are made of. Enjoy!!!
Serves: 4, as an abundant side dish, or 2 as a main.
Cook time: ~15 minutes
Baking tray
Chef’s knife (My fave)
Chopping board (This one is beautiful, but it certainly is an investment)
Large mixing bowl
Colander
Small saucepan
2 to 3 thick slices of sourdough bread, torn into chunky pieces
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